Beer Monster

I'd vote (and pay £1) for GC tracking too.

I managed a DNF on holiday in Tenerife - actually I managed a couple of them - but on this one I stood on top of a big stone, and announced to the family, "No, I think this one's gone." A week or so later when I was back home and filling in the DNF, I popped open the spoiler photo, only to find that the box was underneath the big stone! Doh!

I'd be willing to bet that people only started watching it because the text asked them not to! Reverse psychology, maybe?

...and to pick up some swaps for your next successful find? Just a thought, but there are times when I feel I'm in the minority when I report a DNF. I get the feeling the many people only report a DNF if they think the cache has gone walkies, where I will report both this and my own sheer stupidity. Am I alone, just plain wrong or excessively paranoid?

Ah, sorry about this guys - must have something in my eye.

As it's taken me over a year and a half to reach my first 100, I'm certainly not a numbers cacher. For me, it's the thrill of the chase and the sense of achievement at the end that I enjoy most. As the rest of the Monsters aren't as keen on the sport as I am, I consider myself lucky if I do 2 caches in a day. I have to fit them in between other things we do, or do them alone as another in my series of 'Friday afternoon on-the-way-home-from-work' caches, or get sneaky by taking the family somewhere and saying, "While we're here we might as well do this cache. It's only just over there." But I think they're getting wise to that now. So I try to pick those that are 1) close to where I am at the time (weekends away, holidays, new contract etc.), and 2) look likely to provide me with most enjoyment. I'll generally only do a virtual or a micro if the area looks interesting; I have little inclination to do a locationless; and some 10% have been multis (11 of my first 100 - is that a record?), the first of which was Pharisee's Sandy Warren, and possibly the best of which was his sadly departed Trigonometry, Triangles and Treachery. Struth! That was a bit of an essay!

Genius in true Douglas Adams style! (All those pens you've lost aver the years, slipping through wormholes in space to their own planet where they can enjoy a uniquely biroid life-style)

And then there's Birmingham. Big population, surrounded by green bits, lumpy bits, etc. and only a handful of caches. Looking on the nice new interactive map (good 'un Teasel), I think little Coventry has more caches now.

There's a little "PM" button at the bottom of every post. Takes you straight to a screen with the address prefilled. (Down here) | | | \/

Better trigs? I thought they were standard sized and shaped lumps of concrete. Seen one, seen 'em all.

That explains a lot. I think I must have encountered stacks of them when I've been out playing golf. I hit what feels like a good drive, and the ball suddenly shoots left or right into the thick rough! And have you ever noticed how water is magnetic to golf balls?

Coo! Didn't notice the site had PM! Just checked the top corner: 0 New Messages

I must admit, I'd have trouble spotting myself on a world map, unless it was a really big scale map. Even then I'd have trouble - I keep moving around! Ooh look - there I go again, off downstairs to grab a beer!

When I first started, I religiously traded at every cache, even those that had nothing I particlarly wanted in them. Then, as with many others, I realised I was just shuffling the contents from one box to another. Now I take a few trades with me, but usually only swap if there is something I particularly like in the box. There are a few particular types of things I look out for - unusual coins, for instance.

I will normally take or leave a TB without a trade. Did one earlier this weekend where I felt guilty though, as it would only have left about 3 things in the box. So I dropped in a handful of dinosaurs.

I AM GeOlympics (or half of it, anyway) and so's my brother!

Do you have something against Dog Walk #2?

My krugerrand isn't magentic either!

To some extent I agree with SP on the use of ammo cans. Brilliant as they are for keeping your goodies clean and dry, they do present a potential scare. If, as a non-cacher, you found a mysterious metal box hidden in the woods (or possibly somewhere more sensitive), would you believe it if it said, "contents harmless" on the side? Or am I just getting cynical? Or paranoid? Or is everyone out to get me?

Very true, but I do have a Geocaching patch ironed on to the bag I carry all my unsafe (see earlier thread) goodies around in. And I carry a small, bright yellow box that 1) indicates to the initiated that I may be geocaching, and 2) tells me where the caches are using a big arrow! Edited because I inadvertantly used a smiley shortcut in the text - Doh!

Is that all it was about? I thought I'd missed some personal attack. I remember reading that post and thought nothing more of it. If I'd read it and felt it was aimed at me, I'd have thought, "Oops! Forgot to do that!" BTW. I just checked, and the official guidlines state: "Also, clearly label your physical containers on the outside with appropriate information to reduce the risk of your cache being perceived as a danger to those that are unaware of our sport. "

I logged Zootie in a virtual in Corfu. He wanted to clock up serious mileage, and I'd already failed to find the only other cache on the north of the island. I actually went back and found the other one later, and logged him there as well!

No - that's the chair by my pc! I drive a Megane cabriolet - it does have leather seats though.

I concur. Please don't be put off by an insensitive few. Most of us are in it for the sport, and actively encourage others. There may be some who don't think that way, but please don't take it out on the rest of us. The sport needs people like you who are prepared to put effort in for the pleasure of others. Please reconsider.

Because I was stupid enough not to take the picture with me when I visited! Didn't make the same mistake twice though. Thanks, Archimagus, an excellent puzzle. And thanks to all you guys too. A generous cheque will be winging its way to my pet cause - leukemia research. And any of you who find yourselves in my area (Solihull), drop me a line and I'll buy you a beer! For info, the box was well hidden under long grass right against the south-east side of the sign, and only just covered with topsoil. There's a small-box-shaped hole there now.